Henry Ruggs III going for history at NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS (WSFA) - Henry Ruggs III is fast, but is he the fastest? That’s what he wants to prove at the NFL Combine this week.

During his meeting with the press at the combine Tuesday, Ruggs called himself the fastest player at the combine, and he said he’s going to prove it in the 40-yard dash.

“I’m always going to bet on myself,” said the former R.E. Lee Montgomery General superstar.

Ruggs took it one step further. He’s not only trying to be the fastest player of this year’s 337 participants, but he also wants to be the fastest player ever to run the 40.

“I’m trying to hit the lowest [time] ever,” he said. “So, 4.22 or lower.”

That 4.22-second time was run by current Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross, who set the record back in 2017. Ruggs’ fastest time ever? Unofficially, he says it’s a 4.25, but he’s not worried.

“I’m very confident in what I do,” said the University of Alabama standout.

Whether Ruggs breaks the record or not, he will be an asset for whichever NFL team drafts him. He caught 40 passes for 746 yards and 7 touchdowns this past season for the Crimson Tide. In his career, he’s eclipsed 1,700 receiving yards to go along with 24 touchdown receptions and 98 catches.

His name has been referenced in terms of being the first receiver off the board in this year’s draft, but Ruggs isn’t too fixated on being first off the board at his position, or where he’ll fall in the draft.

“I’ll be excited to be anywhere, said Ruggs. "Like I said, I have to make myself at home with whatever program I end up at and I have to develop that trust in whatever quarterback and the receivers there.”

Ruggs will take the field along with the other NFL Draft Combine participants Thursday from Lucas Oil Stadium.